Talk about powered up for more!
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a 2022 comic book series based on the Power Rangers franchise in general and the first installment of the same name in particular, and is published by Boom! Studios. It serves as a sequel to both Mighty Morphin (2020) and Power Rangers (2020), with the series consolidating the numbering of both series with the 2016 series, meaning that the series numbering starts from #100.
As the seven Power Rangers continue to train in preparation for Lord Zedd's next attack, the Moon, with Zedd's Castle/Rita' Fortress on top of it, once again appears in plain sight. Zordon recalls some ominous warnings as the Rangers investigate this new development. Once there, the Rangers find one of their old enemies has returned, significantly more powerful than ever before, and in order to stop them, they'll need to team up... with Lord Zedd!
Issue #100 serves as the Grand Finale to Ryan Parrott’s tenure on the franchise, with Melissa Flores taking over as writer in the following issue.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (2022) contains examples of the following tropes:
- Armor-Piercing Response: Zordon delivers a low-key one when Grace confronts him about Matt being left behind on the Moon; while Zordon concedes to Grace's point that he's once again left a Ranger on the Moon, Zordon affirms that he never wanted to do that again and on this occasion he wasn't the one to choose Matt as a Ranger.
- Art Shift: Issue #100 shifts between a variety of art styles, due to an expanded roster of artists for the issue.
- Authority in Name Only: Suggested; while Zedd is in custody at Promethea, one of his guards asks if his title of "Emperor of Evil" is legitimate or if he just calls himself that.
- Brainwashed:
- When Matt returns to Earth, he has been fully brainwashed to act for Mistress Vile, to the extent of giving her information about Promethea.
- As part of Darkest Hour arc, Rocky and Adam are captured and corrupted into evil Rangers by Dark Specter's enforcer Angel, ready to attack Tommy, the White Ranger.
- Brought Down to Normal: Jason had to sever his connection to the Red Omega Ranger powers to force the Death Ranger out of his body, leaving him unable to morph.
- Canon Foreigner:
- The Thunder Megazord and Dragonzord combine to create the previously unseen Dragon Thunderzord in issue #100.
- Issue #105 has the Red Dragon, Griffin, Firebird and Lion Thunderzords combine with the Blue Omegazord to form the Omega Blue Thunder Omegazord.
- Captured on Purpose: Ultimately Zedd's apparent surrender was this, as he had left a device for gathering Morphing energy in Promethea that he could use as a morpher for himself.
- Creating Life Is Unforeseen: When Rita/Mistress Vile infuses Zordon's former body with dark energy to make it a new host for Dark Specter's essence, the body actually develops its own level of consciousness separate from Dark Specter, prompting it to travel to Earth to confront Zordon about the possibility of merging with him instead to explore its options.
- Crippling Overspecialization: How Rocky, Aisha, Kimberly and Adam defeat Alpha-1 in their first round; Alpha-1 has been training to face the original Rangers, so while he knows what to expect from Kimberly the other three manage to take him by surprise as they have a different fighting style to their predecessors.
- Custom-Built Host: Dark Spectre requires a suitable vessel infused with the power of the Morphin Grid to manifest in this universe; Rita proposes giving him Zordon's old body, still trapped in her custody even as Zordon's essence manifests through his warp.
- Darkest Hour: The name of the arc starting with issue #111. And very apropos: Mistress Vile brings Dark Specter through the Morphin' Grid; it infects Zordon's former body and spreads its disease through the Grid, allowing the Evil forces to brainwash and control any Ranger that morphs. And this includes future teams like Wild Force, and other reality ones, like the Dino Charge.
- Defensive Feint Trap: Ultimately the Omega and Mighty Morphin Rangers lure Alpha-1 into a trap by pretending that the Earth-based Rangers are leaving when they were actually in hiding.
- Destroy the Villain's Weapon: Just like before, the evil Green Ranger is released from the spell when the Sword of Darkness is destroyed.
- Early-Bird Cameo: As well as Andros and Zhane's role in the clash with the Death Ranger, Rita was released from her Dumpster prison by Divatox.
- Empty Shell: When Rita trapped Zordon in the vortex, his body was separated from his mind so that Rita is able to reanimate it with dark energy to potentially serve as a host for Dark Specter's essence.
- Enemy Mine: After Mistress Vile comes to the Moon Palace, Zedd, Goldar and Baboo all retreat with the Rangers to ask for Zordon's help in fighting her. Later, the various Rangers who have still escaped being corrupted by Dark Specter's latest plan have to ally with Lord Drakkon to oppose Mistress Vile, as Drakkon doesn't want to be forced to serve anyone.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When Zordon is confronted by his former body, now with a degree of independent sentience after it was infused with dark energy, the body offers to let Zordon merge with it so that he can act again rather than relying on others who will make mistakes. Zordon ultimately rejects that offer as he has faith in his chosen Rangers to do what must be done and accept when things go wrong.
- Fighting from the Inside: A more literal example of this than usual; when the brainwashed Matt tries to attack the Rangers with the Dragonzord, the Rangers trigger the Dragon Thunderzord combination so that they can confront Matt in the Megazord control room and catch him off-guard to properly break the spell.
- Foregone Conclusion:
- Jason has to leave the Omega Rangers, and can no longer morph into the Omega Red Ranger; but he will eventually become a Ranger again.
- Zhane is rendered comatose once again after the Death Ranger’s defeat, as he only wakes up from his coma in Power Rangers in Space.
- Foreshadowing:
- Billy provides Andros with a chamber that will help Zhane heal through gradual exposure to morphing energy, which justifies how he will be restored to relative health by the time Andros meets the former Turbo Rangers.
- Tommy notes that Billy is more comfortable doing research and preparing weapons then actively going out to fight, acknowledging Billy's future "demotion" from active Ranger to tech support in Power Rangers Zeo.
- Graceful Loser: Zedd initially presents himself as this; when he finds himself in the Command Centre in a weakened state after taking a beating from Mistress Vile, he accepts Zordon's help, acknowledges that his old friend is right to be concerned, and accepts being imprisoned by Promethea along with Goldar and Baboo. Ultimately it's revealed that he was playing along until he could find a new morpher he had hidden in Promethea for the future.
- Groin Attack: Adam manages to inflict this against Alpha-1 (although it obviously doesn't do much since Alpha-1 is just a robot).
- Heroic Sacrifice: During the clash in the Moon Palace with Mistress Vile, Matt chooses to stay behind so that the other Rangers can escape in Serpentera.
- I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Invoked in spirit when Rita captures Tommy and tries to taunt him with the idea that he's only a Ranger because of her, Tommy rejecting the idea that she did anything for him as he considers Zordon and the others as the ones who truly chose him as a Ranger.
- Insane Troll Logic: Kimberly attempts to call Alpha-1 out on his current alliance with 'Mistress Vile' when he originally criticized Zordon for not being extreme enough to deal with her, but Alpha-1 claims that he now regards Mistress Vile's plans as the best chance for peace in the universe.
- Internal Reveal: During Mistress Vile's attack on Promethea, a morphed Lord Zedd faces off against her thrall and recognizes it: Zordon (actually, his lost physical body).
- Mythology Gag:
- During a feast in Gamma Vile, Divatox mocks Rita by calling her "Frieda", a Malicious Misnaming she did in the first episode of Power Rangers in Space.
- Master Vile gives Divatox the location of her prize: Muiranthias, the homonymous island of Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie.
- In the TV series, the Tenga Warriors were associated with Master Vile and his son, Rito Revolto. In the comic, a Tenga is seen behind Master Vile's wife ready to capture an infant Rita.
- Rank Up:
- Following Jason’s departure, Trini becomes the new Omega Red Ranger.
- In a flashback, Rita Repulsa accompanies Master Vile to present a vessel for Dark Specter's essence, and offers to be transformed in Dark Specter's new "Vile", implying it is a rank within the alien forces.
- Took a Level in Badass: Rita Repulsa following her transformation into Mistress Vile. She's gone from relying on monsters to do her fighting, to being able to best Lord Zedd and the combined powers of the Pink, Green and White Rangers in combat.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- In issue #103, Grace gives one to Zordon over Matt being left behind whilst the other Rangers escaped.
- Also in issue #103, Tommy gives one to Kimberly after she uses the Firebird Thunderzord to attack a monster that's still human-sized, citing Zordon's rule about not escalating combat unless forced to.
